Kidnapper
by hopelessswriter
Summary: Lucy Heartfilia is months away from graduating high school; months away from finally escaping the Heartfilia name. But on an errand to a small pub for her father, she meets a boy that changes her whole perspective. Heavy implied NaLu.
1. Chapter 1

Lucy smelt the pub before she saw it. The stench of beer and blood bled into her nose and triggered her gag reflex. The pathetic little building was leaning slightly to the right, which didn't give her any confidence about her father's attempts in purchasing it. _'What is he thinking? This place won't make more than my weekly allowance in one year.'_

She smiled bitterly. Her father was the head of the Heartfilia family and business, and had been trying to buy this pub for months. The owner, however, refused to fork over the missing piece to her father's real estate empire. Lucy didn't care one bit, but her father had demanded that she go and try to persuade the owner on his behalf. After an hour of begging and negotiating, he finally wore her down, and she left fuming. There was only one problem: Lucy still had no intention of persuading anyone to do anything. She just wanted to finish her senior year of high school, go to college, and leave for a place the Heartfilia name couldn't reach.

Lucy was still working on that last part.

As she neared the doors, a body flew through a window, nearly toppling her to the ground. She shrieked and leapt out of its trajectory. It groaned and shot back through a second window before she could get a good look at it, yelling loud enough to make her own throat hurt. Loud cheers screamed back, enticing Lucy to enter. _'Now that I think about it, I don't know anything about this place,'_ she realized, feeling almost embarrassed. _'No,'_ she scolded herself. This was her father's problem, not her's.

The inside was packed with people, easily exceeding two hundred. They swarmed around a space in the middle of the room, or hovering around a small bar pushed in the corner. Everyone was cheering and yelling. Money, food, and alcohol was littered across the floor, upturned chairs and overturned tables scattered in the corner. The walls slanted just as noticeably as they did outside, and the roof leaked what Lucy hoped was water. More shouts rang out from the crowd, piquing her curiosity.

She shoved and jostled her a path through the crowd, ignoring the wolf whistles and hungry eyes focused on her chest, which was straining against her blue halter top. "Perverts," she grumbled to herself, feeling her cheeks flush.

After what seemed like hours, she reached the inner ring of the horde of people. Two people danced across a raised platform, and it took a moment for her to recognize that they were fighting. One of the fighters was the man who had crashed through the window. His opponent, however, was too fast for her to see clearly. His body moved so fluidly it was like he had been put on fast-forward. The window crasher didn't stand a chance, his opponent's fists cracking against his ribs, his shoulder, his face. In the blink of an eye, his legs were swept out from under him and he was kicked off the mat. A bell signaled the end of the match, bringing the cheers to their climax.

Ignoring the writhing drunkards, Lucy forced her way closer to the mysterious winner. The celebrators' jerky movements hid him from her view, simultaneously pushing her away. _'It's like tug-of-war,'_ she thought miserably.

Sirens wailed in her ears, silencing and stilling the hub of activity and noise. _'Oh, great,'_ Lucy thought. _'Of course, I had to come to an illegally operating fight club.'_ The pub became a realm of organized panic, with people filing through exits that Lucy hadn't noticed when she'd walked in. She watched in awe as the room emptied in less than a minute. Only a few passed out drunks and bartenders remained, excluding herself.

A rough hand latched around her wrist and tugged, nearly scaring Lucy out of her wits. She spun around to see a boy around her age with no shirt on and scars on his muscled chest. She blushed, trying to look up and failing miserably. "Hey, I'm guessing you're new here, but we gotta go. They'll be here any second, and they don't exactly smile upon organized bar fights." She nodded dumbly, not noticing his mischievous smirk. He looped his arm around her waist and threw her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, eliciting a shriek that shredded her throat and hopefully his ears. She pounded on his back as he raced through the streets like she weighed nothing. Giving up on trying to stop him, she allowed herself to be carried to wherever he was taking her. She hung from his shoulder, swaying to the steady pace of his feet.


	2. Chapter 2

_'Just how much stamina does this guy have?'_ Lucy wondered impatiently. The screaming of the sirens had long faded away, but her kidnapper hadn't slowed his pace at all. Aside from his labored breathing, her added weight didn't seem to affect him.

As if sensing her thoughts, he slowed to a walk. She started her writhing again only to be dumped in the dirt. She shot up as soon as she hit the ground, not wanting to be caught off guard. If this guy was who she thought he was, she was in trouble. She blinked the grains out of her eyes and raised her hands defensively, clearing her blurry vision. He was not going to surprise her. _'I'm ready for anything you can throw at me.'_ Hardening her eyes, she focused on her assailant.

She didn't know whether to run or swoon.

He was easily the most attractive person she had ever seen. He had propped himself up against a pile of litter, which was gross even without him digging through it, but it didn't seem to bother him. He had spiky pink hair that was probably dyed, and was unbelievably muscular: corded muscles ran down his arms, and every muscle on his chest was hard and defined, especially the six-pack he was sporting. The most interesting parts about him, though, were his scars. Big, small, thin, thick, jagged, smooth; they were etched into his skin, the pale shapes stark against his tanned skin. They ran up his arms and swirled around his torso, old and new.

And his eyes. Lucy couldn't figure out if they were dark green or black. They sparkled despite the dim light, focused on bandaging his forearms and knuckles. Pride glimmered under their dark surface as they traced the scars crisscrossing his skin. She followed them, too, and was alarmed when she looked back to study him that he was studying her instead. She flinched and blushed, but held his gaze.

She took a step back when he stood, and she didn't miss how he towered over her, with her head just reaching his collarbone. He rolled his shoulder until it popped, then fixed her with those intense dark eyes. He crossed his arms and leaned forward until they were nose to nose. _'Stand your ground, Lucy. You can't win in a fight, but—'_ Her thoughts were interrupted by his words and the realization that she had no chance if he tried to do anything to her.

"You're heavy, you know that?"

Lucy stared at him. His voice was deep and smooth, strong despite having run at least a mile with her on his shoulder. It was so captivating, in fact, that she didn't remember what he had said. She did pick up on the fact that he was waiting for some kind of reaction from her, and that she would be angry. She decided that a glare would be appropriate. His lips spread into a grin, and he nodded to himself. Tossing his hands behind his head, he began to stroll down the street, leaving her alone in the alley.

Fear clutched her, and she sprinted up to hook his arm with her hand. _'Wow,'_ she thought dazedly, feeling the muscles shift beneath her hand. Blushing, she met his curious look. "Are you just going to leave me here? All by myself?" His stare didn't waver. "Yeah," he stated bluntly, taking her by surprise. She crossed her arms and cocked her hip to the side, trying to make herself more appealing. Which, in her case, wasn't hard. She had been blessed with figure most women would kill for: large chest, slim waist, and wide hips on top of long legs. And she was _not_ going to be left in the streets at night to have it be taken advantage of.

"You're can't leave me all by myself out here." She smiled sweetly, almost hearing his words of reassurance. _'Come on, fall in love me already so I can go home!'_

Her confidence, however, crumbled when he merely continued to stare at her. "That was the plan, yeah. Why?"

Now it was her turn to stare at him. He couldn't honestly be this dense. She felt her temper flare. "You can't leave a pretty girl out on the streets in the dark all by herself! What if some creep comes along?" She let go of his arm in order to put her hands on her hips, scowling.

His eyes swiveled behind her, as if looking for something, before he nodded. "I'm not," he said matter-of-factly. Lucy huffed, offended, and grabbed his arm again.

"Fine. For that, you are going to walk me home." She hauled him forward, surprised when he didn't resist.

They walked in silence until she turned them onto her street. When she let him go, he immediately turned to go again. Sighing, she grabbed his arm once more. And once more, he stopped, but she sensed his annoyance. "What now?" He turned, and she hesitantly let him go. He stayed, exasperation filling his dark irises.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "You aren't going to tell me your name?" At his baffled expression, she sighed. "You kidnap me and walk me home, but you won't tell me your name?" She met his eyes, determined to elicit _something_ from him.

"They call me Salamander at the fights. Happy?" He went to stalk off, and she grabbed him one more time, probably more forcefully than necessary. She knew it took all of his self-control not to fling her onto the sidewalk, but he slowly turned around, and she knew this would be the last time he would.

"That's not what I asked. What's your _name_? Because I don't go to the fights, so I can't call you Salamander." His face twisted into the same puzzled look, and she wondered briefly why he was so confused by this question, before she heard his answer.

"Natsu. My name is Natsu."

She nodded, meeting his eyes and smiling shyly. "Okay, then, thank you, Natsu, for kidnapping me and walking me home." Lucy spun on her heel and walked off, leaving him standing under the street lamp.


	3. Chapter 3

The weeks sped by for Lucy, until she had all but forgotten about her trip to the pub. It was nearly time for graduation by the time she was reminded of Natsu again. It was on the last day of April when her father called her into his office. She hadn't seen him for days, his stressed yelling the only sign he was still in the house.

The thick oak door swung open at her knock, and she tentatively stepped inside. It was dangerous to be the first person her father interacts with after times like these, but he had never completely snapped in front of Lucy. She hoped that wouldn't change. "Father?" Lucy whispered, scared she would spook him. He was sitting at his desk, trying to stare a hole into a letter sitting on his desk. Her murmur sent his head shooting up, dull brown eyes focusing on her. A strained smile formed on his face.

"Lucy, honey. I'm sorry to call you in here at such a late hour." Lucy figured she shouldn't mention it was almost noon, and nodded. "Do you remember the place I sent you a few months back? The pub?"

A few fleeting images ran through Lucy's head: screaming drunkards, a body flying through a window, a quiet walk home with a tall boy with scars. "Yeah, vaguely. What about it?" Dread and excitement battled within her at the prospect of being able to see that boy again. Her father hummed distractedly, and she knew he didn't hear her answer. "The owner seems to finally be cracking. He sent me this letter…—"

Lucy tuned him out, knowing that he could go on for hours, whether she paid attention or not. She didn't care one bit about his business empire. _'Three months, then I can leave,'_ she chanted in her mind. _'That's it. Just three months.'_ The drone of her father's voice was replaced by silence, and she quickly focused back on him. He had an expectant look on his face. _'Not good,'_ she thought, panicked. She quirked an eyebrow, hoping it would be an appropriate response to whatever he had said.

From his sigh, she assumed it was. "Look, I know you've already gone, but I just need you to go and give the owner this envelope. It won't take more than an hour, tops." He slid a sealed envelope across the table, and she picked it up, bored. "Tell him the time is up to him." She nodded and excused herself, going back to her room to get dressed. _'It's a good thing it's a Saturday, because he would've made me go, school or no.'_

* * *

Lucy plucked at her tank top's strap distractedly, matching an imaginary beat as it thumped against her collarbone. She had chosen to lean against the wall in a corner, half-watching the fights. She didn't see Natsu anywhere, and she wasn't sure if the disappointment she felt was from her lack of entertainment or the fact that she wouldn't see him. She tapped the envelope against her leg, just as one of the fighters landed a punch to his opponent's jaw.

"That guy sucks," a voice stated, startling Lucy so much she jumped. She swiveled her head to meet dark eyes shining with amusement. Trying to still her trembling pulse, she glared at him and hit his shoulder with her fist. His eyes flicked down to her tiny fist on his arm, smiling even bigger. "So do you."

Lucy puffed out her cheeks. "You scared me!" She looked back at the ring, and saw the same guy getting hit again in the chest. "You're right about that guy, at least. He can't land a single punch." Jaw, arm, thigh. _'This guy's getting creamed,'_ she thought, pitying the boy.

Natsu's chuckle caught her off guard. "No, not the kid. He's gonna win it with one hit."

Lucy quirked her eyebrow up, unsure if he was kidding. "Uh, what? Look at him, he's getting—" She turned back to see the bruised, beaten kid crush his attacker's wrist and fling him out of the ring. The swarm of drunks cheered, sloshing alcohol all over each other. She grimaced before looking back at Natsu in amazement. "What just…" _'How did he do that?'_ "That guy must have an impressive pain tolerance." Lucy mumbled, trying to sound nonchalant about the fact there was a man with a broken wrist writhing around on the ground, laughing.

She heard Natsu laugh beside her again, and she decided she liked how he looked when he laughed: it made him look cuter. "No way. I think you punched me harder than that guy could've, and you're pretty weak." He laughed again, and Lucy made another decision. She wanted to punch him in his insanely cute face.

A voice, that Lucy assumed to be the announcer, yelled so loud she thought her ears would bleed. "—vs. the one, the only…Salamander!" Lucy watched as Natsu shoved himself up off the wall beside her, popping his knuckles and smiling. Without being fully aware of what she was doing, she reached out and grabbed his arm, like that night so many weeks ago. Curiously, he tilted his head back to look at her, expectant.

"You can't seriously be thinking of going out there," she asked, feeling something like fear for him. "That guy crushed his wrist in one go! You'll get hurt!"

Natsu had frozen, and something flickered in his dark eyes, before the same easy amusement graced his features. "I'll be right back." He gently shook her hand off and took off his T-shirt, tossing it on the floor. Against her will Lucy traced the contours of his body with her eyes, drinking in the toned muscles. She retreated back into her dark corner after grabbing his shirt to watch. His opponent was jumping up and down excitedly, darting back and forth like he'd had 6 shots of espresso.

"This could be it for our Salamander, folks!" The booing that followed was deafening., and the announcer laughed as if he hadn't heard it. Lucy looked over at Natsu, who was all easy confidence as he bounced on the balls of his feet. Next to the hyper kid, though, he was completely still. Lucy noticed how he was favoring his left ankle, and that his forearms and knuckles were swollen. She tightened her grasp on his T-shirt, and caught herself.

Why was she so worried for him? She didn't even know this boy, and here she was fearing for his safety. He was a street fighter, and a dangerous one from what she could tell. He had kidnapped her and ran nearly a mile with her on his back without breaking a sweat, yet here she was, preparing to watch him get pummeled by a kid who couldn't be older than fifteen.

A bell dinged, pulling her focus back to Natsu, and she made a decision. She would stay friends with Natsu until her father's transaction forced the pub to close down. Then she could graduate and leave him and her father and everything else associated with the Heartfilia name behind to live her own life.


	4. Chapter 4

Perched on top of a tabletop, Lucy's heartbeat was drowning out all of the drunken cheering. Neither Natsu nor his opponent gave any hint as to the fact they had heard the bell, each of them still jumping in place. Lucy didn't if she should cover her eyes or not, but before she could make up her mind, the fight began.

The kid moved so fast her eyes could barely keep up. One minute, he was mid-air in a jump, then he was halfway across the ring with his fist pointed at Natsu's face. Before Lucy could think to scream, Natsu was above him, kicking him down to the floor. As it went on, Lucy could tell it was an uneven battle. The boy was struggling to stand after only a minute, while Natsu wasn't even breathing heavy. Kicks and punches flowed easily from both fighters, and Lucy was reminded of how it had seemed they were dancing the first time she saw it.

"Quit showin' off, Salamander! The cops could be here any minute!" Lucy snapped her attention to the man who had shouted. He was glaring at Natsu over his beer mug, joined by a few others at his table. Natsu didn't seem to notice them, however, looking over at Lucy. She watched him take in her holding his shirt, her wide eyes. He smirked before stooping down and grabbing the kid by his arm, picking him up like a rag doll. But as the cheers reached their climax, as Natsu held his body near over edge of the ring, the kid leapt up. His bare foot swung in a wide arc towards Natsu's face. Natsu blocked with his arm and pushed it forward, sending the boy's body flying over the platform and onto a table. The mass of people yelled and screamed, chanting "Salamander!" over and over until it was all Lucy could hear.

Natsu ignored them as he shoved his way through the crowd back to her. He carefully pried his shirt out of her tight grip. By the time she shut her gaping mouth, he was fully dressed and eyeing her from his earlier position against the wall. She tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make her seem like an idiot, but no such luck. "What was that?" was all that came to mind.

Natsu beat her to the punch, though. "What's wrong?" He looked worried, and maybe even a little embarrassed. Lucy quickly tried to smile, but she doubted he believed it. "Sorry," she mumbled, watching as the boy pushed himself up off the table and stumbled around, trying to get his bearings. "I've never seen anything like that. You guys…That was amazing." _'And terrifying,'_ she thought, but kept that opinion to herself.

Natsu grinned. "Thanks!" Lucy found herself captivated as pride and excitement shone in his eyes. _'He…enjoys this,'_ she realized, his animated words infecting her with his happiness. She smiled, nodding occasionally as he babbled about different fighting techniques. Lucy didn't have a clue what he was saying, choosing instead to focus on _him_. His eyes (Lucy still couldn't decide if they were black or dark green) had a peculiar light in them, one she had never seen before. Her father's eyes were dull and tired, and no one else she had met, even the few people she knew, was this passionate about anything they did. And here was this boy, with sparkling eyes and a big grin threatening to split his already split lip.

He noticed her staring and stopped, confusing flitting across his face. "What are you staring at me for?" She blinked at his bluntness, and blushed. "I—I'm not staring at you!" Her cheeks were flaming from being caught, and she tried to glare menacingly, but she had her doubts about its effectiveness.

He was relentless. "Um, yeah you were. Like this." He leaned closer and stared into her eyes, his expression deadly serious. Lucy, listening to some instinct, didn't pull away, until they were almost nose-to-nose. She was 100% confident that she was as red as a new Italian car when his brow furrowed, and he asked, "Oh, I just remembered. What's your name?"

Neither Natsu nor Lucy moved, Natsu expectant and Lucy dumbfounded. Nose to nose, eye to eye.

Lucy spun her foot up and around toward his head, offended and partly ashamed that she hadn't told him. _'He didn't have to ask like that, though!'_ she thought indignantly, aware that it wasn't his fault.

He blocked her wild kick with his forearm as easily as he did with the kid's attacks, and Lucy noticed his mouth tightening at the impact. Her lack of manners forgotten, she seized his arm before he could play it off. Scars wrapped around the swollen muscles, blood dotting the bandages he kept wrapped around them. Her fingers danced lightly across the tanned skin, and she carefully watched his face as he tried to keep his discomfort unknown. Before she could change her mind, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the pub, ignoring the cat calling from the pub's customers.

He yanked half-heartedly at her grip on him, trying to avoid jolting his bruised forearm. She only gripped his hand tighter as she navigated the streets, trying to remember where he had taken her and ignore his whining at the same time. _'Aha!'_ Feeling victorious, she roughly bumped her shoulder against him, enjoying his startled look. "Sit," she commanded, pointing at the pile of garbage he had sat on the first night she'd been to the pub.

"Why?"

She raised a blonde eyebrow, staring at him until he finally gave in and sat down with a huff. She rifled through the pile of garbage, looking for the bandages she knew he kept there. She _knew_ she watched him pull them out—

"If your looking for bandages, they're in that pile over there," he grumbled, his arms crossed over his bruised chest with a pout on his lips. She quickly withdrew her hand, disgusted by the grime darkening her fingernails. Glaring at his adorable pout, she strutted over to the slightly smaller pile of trash and immediately found the bandages she had been looking for.

She plopped in front of him, pulling his forearms toward her, trying to be gentle, but he flinched anyway. She apologized and tried to remember what little medical knowledge her mother had told her, suppressing the tightness in her chest at the thought of her mom. _'Focus,'_ she commanded her stinging eyes. Swollen muscles needed to be iced and left alone until swelling went down, and she needed some sort of salve to heal the bruises and open cuts scattered across his skin. Looking at the pile of almost-white bandages, she cringed. She was going to have to pick up some supplies after school tomorrow, and come up with a plausible reason—

Her hands, unwinding the bandages, paused, and she once again found herself wondering why she cared so much about Natsu. He was blunt, rude, and dense, and also extremely dangerous. He didn't hesitate to throw his opponent up and onto a table. And it was obvious that he didn't hold his well-being in high regard.

Thinking about it now, Lucy discovered, with no small amount of surprise, that it didn't really bother her. She continued unwinding the bandages as she remembered her plan. She would leave him and everything else behind as soon as graduation was done. Nodding firmly, she began unwrapping his bandaged arms.

Lucy flinched at the sight of his skin. Bruises of all different colors were smudged together, shades of yellow and purple and green that she had never seen before. Blood welled up from some of the worser-looking ones, both dried and fresh. Over all, his arm looked like a gruesomely-colored painting. She gingerly began to wrap the bloodiest parts first, winding the gauze thicker in those places than the others.

She finished his one arm with a tiny bow to hold it snug on his arm, smiling proudly. _'It doesn't look bad for having never done it before,'_ she observed, happy despite herself. Looking up, she caught Natsu staring at his arm, mainly the little bow. She blushed and went to tuck it under the edge, but he shook his head. An awkward silence swelled between them, and, unsure what to say, Lucy began re-bandaging his other arm. The silence persisted for a few more minutes until Natsu spoke.

"Why are you helping me?" he mumbled, so quietly that Lucy could barely hear him. She sat silently, speaking only after she had tied the second bow. Rocking back onto her heels in a crouch, she shrugged. "I don't know," she replied, pretending to inspect her grimy fingernails. She knew it wasn't the answer he wanted, but it was the only one she could give him. She met his dark eyes, unable to identify what was going through them. It was like sadness, but it was lighter. More like relief.

The street light above them flickered on, startling Lucy. _'Oh no.'_ Panic ripped through her. It had been hours since she had left for her short trip for the pub. She doubted her father would notice, but the working staff would be in the final stages of a collective panic attack right about now. Natsu seemed to sense her alarm, as he stood and helped her to her feet. He smirked as she stumbled to her feet and hurriedly tried to explain, made worse by her fear that her father would be alerted about her absence.

She was so worried that she didn't notice she was walking until she was standing under the same street light as the first time Natsu had walked her home. She blinked, and almost collapsed with relief. "Thank you," she sighed, torn between hugging him or not. She decided not to, but was oddly disappointed by her choice. "Now I just have to get in without being seen," she mumbled to herself.

She squeaked as she felt arms wrap around her waist. Natsu hoisted her onto his shoulder and began walking down the street. "Which one is it?" he asked. He slackened his hold for Lucy to wriggle down his back a little more so she could see under his elbow. She pointed to the large mansion a few houses down, lights blazing through the Victorian-style windows. She had always complained that it was less like a house and more like a palace, and it was too big for its intended purpose, but her father had always ignored her and the staff always laughed neutrally, knowing it wasn't their place to agree with her.

Natsu nodded, and Lucy was glad he didn't comment. "My bedroom is on the left, toward the back." Lucy was again shocked about how nonchalant she was about telling him where she slept. But she trusted him, for some reason unknown to her.

When she affirmed the correct window, on the third floor, she expected him to set her down and leave her to figure it out. But no.

He swung her body around until she was dizzily latched onto him piggyback style, her legs wrapped around his hips and arms slung around his neck. He ran and leapt up halfway to the second floor, grabbing a jutting brick that Lucy had never noticed before, and launching them to a window. Lucy grabbed his shoulder as a message to wait, then slowly peeked through the window. The room was empty.

Again, he launched them up until they reached Lucy's window. He unlatched it and noiselessly dropped to the ground. Lucy crawled off his back and ran over to turn the light on, flooding the room. Her bed was unmade, and a bra was crushed by her foot. She kicked it under her bed quickly, hoping Natsu didn't see.

He leaned against the window frame, rolling his shoulder and glancing around the room: clothes, unmade bed, paper-strewn desk. Lucy opened her mouth to say something, but a knock on her door made both her and Natsu freeze. She sent Natsu a panicked look, gesturing to the window. But he stood still, his eyebrow raised expectantly. Lucy stormed over to him, crossing her arms, wondering what he was waiting for.

He mimicked her position as another knock echoed through the door. "What, I kidnap you and walk you home, but you won't even tell me your name?" Lucy was struck by the familiarity of his words, and smiled. Shaking her head, she looked up at his smug face. "Lucy. My name is Lucy, you moron."

Smirking, Natsu turned and jumped out the window without another sound.


	5. Chapter 5

Days blurred into weeks, and Lucy and Natsu grew closer than Lucy had ever planned for them to. Lucy was almost always at the pub, watching Natsu's fights and Natsu himself gain more and more popularity among the spectators. He always finished his bouts quickly, eager to get back to her and talk about whatever they had been talking about before the Salamander was called up, but Lucy suspected that he didn't want to get caught fighting by any outsiders, either.

The final bell rang, and Lucy immediately rushed out of class. She had been lost in thought all day about what she what she was going to do that afternoon. Seeing as to how she was a senior, homework wasn't extremely high on her priority list. She knew Natsu needed more first aid supplies, so she would have to stop by the drugstore…

As she stepped out into the sunlight, the buzz of the hallways finally reached her ears. Groups of girls were scattered around the courtyard, all more or less looking at the school's main entrance. Lucy tried to ignore her building curiosity, sure she wouldn't care once she discovered what was so big of a deal. But nevertheless, she went to see what had everyone so excited.

The school's queen bee was standing at the front of her posse, twirling a lock of blonde hair around her finger. _'Oh,'_ Lucy thought, bored. _'It's just some guy.'_ Lucy felt bad for whoever the poor soul was, knowing that a flirting cheerleader was not easy to handle, especially if that cheerleader was the queen bee of Lucy's school. Lucy had never bothered to learn her name, opting to read a book or write during her social periods. Lucy didn't really know anyone at school, really, but it had never bothered her.

"Are you free later?" The cheerleader's honey-sweet voice made Lucy cringe, and pity swelled inside Lucy for her prey. The poor guy was probably a stammering, nervous wreck.

A familiar voice answered, "No, for the four hundredth time! Go away!" Lucy's heart stopped. All pity for the boy was erased by curious excitement. Lucy shoved her way to the front of the giggling girls to see Natsu propped up against the school's gate. He was in his ratty T-shirt and ripped jeans, looking like he was about to explode. His fingers were flexing, and Lucy could hear his knuckles cracking in anticipation.

The cheerleader sneered and took a step closer, and Lucy figured that it was time to step in before Natsu snapped. She walked forward, acting as though she had just arrived. Both the girl and Natsu looked over toward her, Natsu smiling and the girl's eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. She returned Natsu's smile and bumped his shoulder with hers. "What are you doing here?" Lucy was smiling at his goofy grin. She allowed him to wrestle her bag away since it was making her shoulders ache, and they started walking away from the group of girls as if they didn't exist.

Queen Bee, however, seemed to notice their existences, much to Lucy's chagrin. _'This could end badly.'_ She had learned that Natsu was not an exceedingly patient or level-headed person, leaning more towards impulsive and impatient in her book, and Lucy had a short temper herself. And this girl provoking them would not spell anything remotely okay. She stomped up and grabbed Natsu's bulging bicep, tugging on it even after he spun around. Lucy was reminded of when she had done the same thing, but Natsu didn't strike Lucy as amused this time.

"You can't ignore me!" The girl's screech made Lucy and Natsu wince. Natsu sent Lucy a pleading glance, and Lucy realized he didn't want to make a scene for once. The cheerleader's slender hands slid down to his elbow, and a tiny jolt of alarm sent Lucy's hand flying out to peel her fingers off his arm, afraid her grabbing fingers would disturb his bruises, which were finally healing. Natsu tugged on the hair hanging near her waist as a thank you.

The blonde quickly built herself into the drama queen role she had made for herself, comfortable with bullying a simple pariah of _her_ high school. Lucy met her sparkling blue eyes with a glare, arching an eyebrow at the girl. Compared to Lucy's simple tank top and designer jeans, the cheerleader looked like a slutty princess. Her chest was just barely covered by what Lucy was pretty sure was a tube top, and her skirt didn't cover half of what it was supposed to. Her heels looked like she had borrowed them from a stripper, and her perfectly curled blonde hair looked so fake Lucy considered the possibility of it being a wig. Her makeup was flawless, too, and Lucy was ashamed at the twinge of envy she felt as she traced the perfect eyeliner.

"Do you mind? I'm trying to talk to my boyfriend here." Lucy bit her lip in an attempt not to laugh at Natsu's confused expression, tears coming to her eyes from the effort. Natsu obviously hadn't been around girls as much as he had been around the people at the pub. Lucy allowed herself to grin, Queen Bee's eyes dulling in puzzlement. "I'm sure you are. Natsu, do you have anything to say?" Lucy drawled, her voice oozing thick sarcasm. At his mute shaking of his head, Lucy nodded, expecting this reaction. She looked back to the fuming cheerleader, pleased to see her unblemished complexion flushed with angry embarrassment.

"You'll regret this, you nobody," Queen Bee hissed, visibly shaking. "The whole school will know about this. I swear it." Lucy leaned against Natsu tiredly, acutely aware that it made the girl that much angrier. Natsu didn't shift or push her away, either, causing her left eye to begin to twitch. Lucy met Queen Bee's murderous glare with her own cool stare. "Please do, because I doubt this is the last time he'll come by, and I don't want anything like this to happen again." Smiling smugly one last time, she grabbed the still-confused Natsu and left the cheerleader standing outside of the gate.

* * *

Lucy led Natsu into a nearby drugstore, pride and shame warring inside of her. Lucy had maintained a neutral position during her four years of high school, careful to not make any enemies or friends. But now she had verbally shamed the top girl in the school in less than thirty words, making the worst enemy in the entire high school.

But she had somehow gained a friend in Natsu, too, so she guessed that this balanced out the scale.

Remembering Natsu, she risked a glance toward him. He seemed to have put the encounter behind him, happily playing with some stuffed blue cat that spoke when he did something. Rolling her eyes, she hauled him back toward the medical supplies.

"How did you know where I went to school?" Lucy questioned, inspecting an ointment said to reduce bruises in just a day. Just because she had buckets of money ready in her account didn't mean she wanted to spend it. She tossed it to Natsu, who caught it easily. "I saw a jersey lying on your floor a couple weeks ago, and I'd seen it a few times before on some of the kids in the pub. I asked them nicely where they went to school and got there when you did." Lucy turned and raised her eyebrow, and he scratched his neck before smirking. "My kind of nice." She laughed and threw a box of gauze at him, imagining a poor group of freshmen scrambling to get away from Natsu.

Lucy paid and they walked back to the pub, talking about whatever came to mind. Lucy tried to remember ever being this comfortable with anyone, but no one surfaced from her memory. Her determination to not have friends had always worried the staff and her parents, but she had always questioned the purpose of having friends. She remembered her mother laughing at the question every time and patiently explaining that having friends made her a better and stronger person. Lucy had always rolled her eyes and run away to play with her dolls.

Now, though, she understood. Lucy hadn't been this happy in…forever. Natsu had broken down the walls of indifference she had constructed to keep herself from making friends and enemies, and she hadn't seen it coming. _'Geez,'_ she berated herself, cringing at her thoughts. _'I'm starting to sound like some cheesy romance novel.'_

Natsu elbowed her, worry flickering in his eyes. "You okay?"

Wiping her mind from her previous musings, she rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just _so_ excited for school tomorrow." She let her voice drip with sarcasm, and he smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. Now it was her turn to elbow him. He sighed and shook his head. "I'm good. But I don't think I should have stopped by your school. I only seem to cause trouble." His voice took on a tinge of sadness during the last sentence, and Lucy's chest tightened.

She ducked behind him and hopped onto his back, laughing at his grunt of surprise. She shimmied up his torso until she could swing her head around his neck, her hair tickling his knuckles. She could tell he was trying not to smile, evaporating her anxiety. She shifted her head just enough so she could rest her chin on his broad shoulder. "Don't worry about her. I doubt she even knows who I am. I avoid pretty much everyone." She hummed when his hand started to play with the blonde strands hanging around it.

"Yeah, but what if she—" he started, but she shushed him.

"If she does, it won't matter. I have you, and that's all I really care about." His hand stilled for a moment, and she also paused. Lucy shocked herself at the realization that she meant every word. Natsu was all she had, with her reclusive father and respectfully distant working staff. Her mother was gone, she had been certain she didn't need friends all her life, and her father was always locked in his office. He had also developed an anger problem after he lost the pub in financial struggle with another company last week. But Natsu was always there, waiting at the pub or sometimes outside her window. Ready to make her smile, or teach her how to properly execute her sad version of a right hook.

She didn't realize when he had started to play with her hair again, but when they arrived at the pub a tiny knot she assumed was a braid was looped around another strand. They went over to their usual table, Natsu setting Lucy down on the table top before he leaned back against the wall. They people-watched and laughed at the drunken actions of the customers, and Lucy was hit with a realization.

She didn't want to leave him.


	6. Chapter 6

After they finished laughing at a particularly fat man's attempt at a drunken cartwheel, Lucy's ears rang at the announcer's loud voice. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Tonight we have lined up a particularly good set for you!" The pub quieted down, anxious for their entertainment to begin. Lucy was also anxious, but for a completely different reason.

He ran through the list of fighters the pub had contracted, along with their opponents, until Lucy heard what she had been waiting for. "And finally, the kid who we've all grown to love, who's never been defeated, who has an insanely cute girlfriend…Salamander!" Lucy blushed at the recognition, noticing how Natsu also seemed a little pink. She had explained boyfriends and girlfriends to him earlier, when he had asked after the fight with the Queen Bee, and it seemed that he understood the weight of its being thrown around so casually now.

"And his opponent! An experienced fighter, ex-military, weighing in at two-hundred sixty-three ponds of raw muscle…the Captain!" Lucy's heart stopped at the sight of him: he was at least seven feet tall, with muscles that Lucy wasn't entirely were real. He had a mean, hungry look in his eyes, and with a start Lucy realized it was for blood. Those eyes locked onto Natsu from across the room, and Lucy turned to see him staring stonily right back at him. Lucy shivered and turned back, and froze. Those bloodthirsty eyes had locked onto her, but Lucy didn't have enough courage left to glare at him. She instead shrunk behind Natsu's arm, wrapping her arms around his bicep and cringing, revulsion making her want to throw up.

The floor shook, and Lucy peeked between Natsu's arm and chest to see the hulking monstrosity walking toward them. A few other of Natsu's opponents had come to chat before a match, but Lucy doubted this guy wanted to stay on good terms. She steeled herself as he stopped in front of them, emerging from behind Natsu to lean against him. He was still stoically staring at his opponent, but something had leaked into his eyes, making them darker than Lucy had ever seen them.

The Captain towered over Natsu by almost a foot, while Lucy didn't even come up to his shoulders sitting on the table. He leaned over until he was eye-level with Lucy, and Lucy could smell the whiskey floating around him like cologne on her father's business partners. "The announcer used the wrong word," he sneered, his words slurring together. "You're damn sexy."

Lucy pressed herself hard against the wall, gagging audibly. "And you're damn near suffocating me. Ever heard of a breath mint?" she managed to choke out, eyes watering from the stench.

He laughed, straightening and looking at Natsu, whose eyes had darkened to a shade of black Lucy had never seen before. "You've got a fiery one there, Salamander." The predatory glint returned to his dull eyes, raking up and down Lucy. She shuddered, dizzy and disgusted.

In one smooth move, Natsu jumped up and crouched in front of Lucy, forcing the Captain's attention onto him. "Why did you come over here?" Natsu growled, popping his knuckles. Lucy instantly felt weak, peeking from behind him to glare at the Captain behind Natsu's protective arm. The giant of a man sneered at Natsu, before straightening and smiling wickedly. "I came to offer you a proposal, kid." Those eyes shifted back to Lucy, before locking onto Salamander. "If I win, I get your girl."

Natsu tensed in front of her, and Lucy's stomach plummeted. This was steadily turning into the worst day ever. First, she makes an enemy out of the most powerful girl at her school in less then three minutes; then she realizes that her carefully-constructed plan to keep her isolated until after graduation has crumbled without her knowing it, and even worse she's completely fine with it; now this man was bargaining her like she was a piece of meat.

Her disgusted fear flared her temper. She clambered up onto Natsu shoulders so she was standing eye level with the Captain. "Who do you think you are?" Lucy tried to keep her voice steady, and Natsu squeezed her ankle in warning. "You can't just gamble me like I'm some sort of prostitute!" The Captain blinked, a creepy smile on his face, and Lucy realized that he hadn't heard a word she'd said. She crossed her arms over her chest, quickly uncrossing them when his eyes followed. He laughed at her, and Lucy felt her foot beginning to go numb from Natsu's squeezing it too hard.

Lucy noticed Natsu hadn't said anything since she'd been so rudely treated like a trophy. Blocking out the Captain's raucous comments, she lowered herself until her legs were wrapped around his waist and put her lips against Natsu's ear. "You okay?" she whispered, pretending she could still feel her foot. He didn't answer for a minute, standing and jumping down to the floor, all the while holding onto her foot to keep her balanced. Gradually, the blood flowed back into her foot as he released it. He let a breath go and nodded, turning his head enough to meet her eyes. She smiled reassuringly, but he didn't return it.

"So, Salamander. Do you accept my offer?" The Captain looked haughtily down at Natsu, who glared back. Lucy peered up at the Captain, but he luckily wasn't looking at her. _'Yet,'_ a voice in her mind reminded her. Natsu's chest rumbled when he spoke. "It doesn't matter if I accept or not." Lucy looked at him, a wild fear and confusion gripping her. _'What does that mean?'_ She fisted his shirt in her hands. Natsu glances at her, eyebrow slightly raised. "Luce, he plans on 'accidentally' killing me in the ring." His voice stayed steady, his tone making her feel as though she should have known that from the start.

Lucy's eyes widened, horror curling in her stomach. "No!" The scream made her throat hurt, and Natsu flinched, but she didn't care. She buried her head into the crook of his neck, squeezing him hard. The Captain's rumbling laughter filtered into the background of her racing thoughts. _'No no no no no no, this can't be happening, please, no, don't let this be happening—'_

"Lucy."

Her thoughts came to a halt at the sound of her name. His hand had come to rest on her elbow, but she didn't raise her head. Fading footsteps alerted some remote part of her brain realize the Captain had walked away, but that was the least of her concerns. "Have you ever seen me lose a fight?" She shook her head, and he continued. "Okay, then don't worry. You'll be—"

Lucy's head shot up, startling him. He took in the tears threatening to spill over her lids with wide eyes. She balled up her tiny fist and knocked it against his shoulder, knowing that it still didn't hurt him, but it made her feel somewhat better. "You idiot," she hissed, trying to keep her voice from trembling but failing miserably. "I'm worried about _you_! He just waltzed over here and apparently declared he was going to kill you! I'm not very high up on my priority list right now!" She knew her voice had risen, but she didn't care.

He started again, saying something like how he'd be fine, but she shook her head. "No, you won't." A hurt look flashed across his face, but he needed to listen to her. She tightened her hold on his chest. "Natsu. Your arms aren't fully healed, and that guy has definitely taken muscle enhancers. Plus the fact that he's ex-military." Lucy's voice began to mellow out, but the tears still waited to run down her face. "I know you've never lost a fight, but he isn't fighting to win. He's fighting to take." She cracked on the last word.

Natsu's eyes smoldered, but not with anger. The bell clanged, dropping a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach. She crawled off of him and sat back on the table, taking his shirt and tightening his bandages one last time. She met his eyes, one tear escaping her restraint.

He reached out, letting it pool on his fingernail. "Hey," he murmured, his voice clear despite the excitement of the pub. Lucy met his intense gaze, and being this close to his face, she realized that his eyes were black: a rich, deep darkness the color of her mother's old inkwell. "He may be fighting to take, but I'm fighting to protect."

With that, he turned around and clambered up into the ring.


	7. Chapter 7

The bell clanged, signaling the beginning of the match, and Lucy couldn't help comparing Natsu to the hulking giant he was supposed to beat. The Captain's over-exaggerated muscles looked ridiculous next to Natsu's lean form, and Lucy noticed for the first time just how small Natsu was compared to the rest of the fighters. Lucy wondered how all of these people grew so tall.

She sat and weighed the pros and cons. _'Pros: Natsu's a lot smaller than him, so he can move faster; he's…'_ Lucy struggled to think up a new pro, so she reluctantly moved to the cons. _'Natsu's injured; the Captain is twice his size, strength, and weight; the Captain could throw him like a football through a wall, the Captain is trying to kill him…'_ Lucy stopped, because she was only making herself feel worse.

Finally, Natsu made the first move. He darted around the Captain's back, kicking him in the crook of his knees. Surprised, he was toppled down to the ground, and Natsu pounced again. His fists connected hit after hit: arms, chest, neck, face. It lasted for a full thirty seconds before the Captain got up again. He had a split lip and broken skin in some places, along with a soon-to-be black eye, but he didn't look nearly as out of it as Lucy had hoped he'd be. If anything, he looked amused.

He grabbed Natsu's fist in his hand, slowly raising him off the ground. When he was dangling nearly two feet above the ring, Natsu bucked, landing a kick on the underside of the Captain's thick wrist. A loud snap filled the room before a pained roar. The Captain dropped Natsu, who gracefully danced out of the way as he stumbled around, clutching his broken wrist. The crowd cheered as Natsu took the advantage, pounding the Captain to his knees.

Lucy felt her fear evaporate with each attack. He wouldn't lose, like he had said. He would win, and they would go on like they always had. She felt bad for doubting him.

The crowd went quiet, and Lucy's fear came back all at once. The Captain was up again, bruised and beaten. But he was smiling, and Natsu paused. He yelled up something, causing the Captain to laugh. His meaty fist launched forward, and Natsu went to block it with his arms. Lucy screamed, but Natsu didn't seem to hear her over the crowd's noise. He crossed his arms as a shield, the hand colliding solidly. She watched as he gritted his teeth in pain, the force of the blow pushing him back.

Suddenly, a loud whine cut through the crowd's hub of excitement. The pub was silent as the wailing grew louder, and Lucy recognized the persistent sirens. They hadn't been around in so long she had forgotten that the pub was illegally operated. The people began filtering out as they had the first night Lucy had come. She wasn't sure if she should feel relieved or not. _'At least he isn't in any mortal danger,'_ she thought.

But as she turned around, she realized she was dead wrong. The Captain had Natsu around the neck, his feet kicking the empty air beneath them. The announcer had fled, leaving the fight going. She hurriedly weaved through the cluttered furniture and outside the ropes. Looking up, she found with some shock that she wasn't afraid. Just panicked at the growing volume of the sirens.

"Hey!" Both Natsu's and the Captain's attention snapped towards her. She glared at the Captain, cocking her hips and crossing her arms. "We don't have time for this! We have to get out of here. I don't know about you, but I don't want to get arrested, so put him down!" The Captain stared at her for a minute, then smiled. "Okay, girlie."

Just as he said it, a car door slammed outside. Lucy's heart stopped as a loud voice cut through the walls. "Any people inside, please come outside in a calm and orderly fashion for detainment." Lucy watched in horror as Natsu was thrown across the room, crashing into the door. Lucy was immediately rushing over to him, leaving the Captain laughing over them. She pulled him up to where he was heavily leaning on her, but he was standing. He was choking and coughing, one hand up around his throat. She dragged them away from the door towards a secret entrance he had shown her a few weeks ago.

A yank of her hair tugged her backward, and she dropped Natsu. He landed on all fours, his breathing still labored. Lucy tried to free her hair, but to no avail. The Captain held a death grip on her long blonde hair, and Lucy briefly wished she had cut it, until she remembered other, gentler hands knotted in the strands. She went back to struggling with a renewed vigor, but she was still dragged backward, toward what she was pretty sure was the back entrance.

"Let me go!" She kicked her feet and grabbed at tables, but they only trailed behind her. She watched helplessly as Natsu struggled to stand, his eyes locked with hers. He was shaking from the effort to stay upright, fueled by the unknown look in his eyes. Lucy had never seen it before, but it made her skin tingle. The Captain tugged on her hair again, and she yelped.

The Captain laughed as Natsu stumbled closer, and Lucy decided to buy him some time. "Wait!" He looked down at her, and she tried to ignore the hungry look in his eyes. "You didn't win! You can't—" He spun her around and put a hand over her mouth. His breath swarmed around her again. "Listen," he growled, agitation bleeding through his previously composed behavior. "That kid over there can barely stand." Her eyes betrayed her as they flickered over to Natsu, steadily growing more confident as his gait shifted from a shuffle to hesitant steps. "He doesn't have any help or hope of getting you back."

Hopelessness swelled in Lucy's chest. He was right. The police were bound to be impatient by now, and neither man was in any condition to fight. Her eyes locked onto his broken wrist, hanging limply at his side, and her mind sparked. Hoping she wouldn't regret her hasty plan, she shifted slightly and held his gaze. "You're wrong." She bared her teeth, aiming her shoe's heel at the tender skin. His gaze grew confused, and she struck.

Oh, she regretted it.

He roared in pain, his arm spazzing and throwing her to the ground. She slammed into a chair, screaming at the impact. She tried to blink the dark spots out of there vision, but they only multiplied. She dully processed strong arms picking her up and talking to her before everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

A dull pain in her head woke her up. Slowly, she pushed herself to a sitting position, wincing as her shifting made her back flare in protest. A small old woman began fluttering around her nervously, and it took a minute for Lucy to recognize Spetto. She looked like she had aged ten years since Lucy had seen her last.

"Miss Lucy," she repeated, over and over until Lucy wanted to scream, but her voice didn't cooperate, only squeaking pathetically. Spetto made her swallow a few sips of water before urging her to lay back down. Heaving a sigh, she relaxed back into her pillows. Her back objected again, but she ignored it. _'This is nothing compared to what he's…'_

 _Natsu._

She shot forward again, scrambling out of the bed and almost knocking poor Spetto to the ground. Lucy collapsed onto the floor, but she didn't stop trying to get to the door. She ignored Spetto's cries to stop, ignored the pain of her bruised spine. She shrugged off the grabbing hands trying to put her back in her bed. She had to get to him, had to see if he was okay. Because she knew he wasn't.

Spetto, Lucy discovered, was freakishly strong. She dragged the kicking Lucy back to the bed and waited until she calmed down. Out of breath, Lucy sat, angry and tense and trembling. Spetto stood beside her and started combing though her hair, sad when Lucy shook her head in protest. "What's wrong, Miss Lucy?" The soft, kind words made Lucy want to cry, but she didn't. She had to be ready to run when she could.

A thought crossed her mind. Maybe they didn't even know about Natsu. Maybe he had taken her here, put her in her bed, and left to patch himself up alone. Or he had been arrested and some kind stranger had taken her home. Or that Captain guy had killed him and some kind policeman had driven her home.

She figured she should play clueless until she had some answers. "I…What happened? How did I get here?" She hoped she sounded convincing, because she needed answers and Natsu as soon as possible. Spetto's old brown eyes softened, and she smiled. "Child, you don't need to worry about that right now. Just focus on—"

"Please!" Lucy's voice cracked, and she knew her facade was shot. "I _need_ to know what happened." She calmed down and tried again. "Please tell me what happened."

Spetto stared at her for a minute, and Lucy realized she had never been this outspoken at home. She had done what she was told and didn't argue when she was asked to do something. She never asked for anything, and she definitely didn't talk back. And now she was doing all of those things. No wonder Spetto was shocked.

"Very well, child." The old woman made herself comfortable in a chair. "Last night, when you hadn't returned from school, we were beginning to worry. It was around eleven o'clock, I believe." Lucy felt a twinge of guilt for making them worry. "Just when we were about to tell the Master, someone knocked at the door. He was quite a dashing young fellow, I must say, with odd pink hair and no shirt. I do believe that I haven't seen a physique like that since—"

"Spetto!" Lucy's face felt hot at hearing Natsu being admired so openly, and grew even hotter when Lucy found herself agreeing with her. The maid laughed and swatted Lucy on the arm in a motherly way. "I'll continue that later. Anyway, he was covered in bruises and a bit of blood, if I remember correctly. And there you were, too, cradled in his arms, fast asleep. I asked him to come in so I could treat his wounds, but he denied me and said that he would come back when you had woken up. He carried you to your room and laid you here, then jumped out of the window like some hoodlum." She looked back at the window anxiously. "I didn't hear his body hit the ground, so I assume he's okay."

Lucy giggled at the mental image of Natsu leaping out of her window and scaring Spetto. She focused back on Spetto, who was still smiling in that motherly way. Lucy bit her lip. "And you're sure…he was okay?" The old woman nodded, and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. Now that she had the full story, she was impatient. She wanted to see Natsu and make sure he was okay herself.

A knock at her door made her heart leap into her throat. There was no way it was him, but her pulse sped up anyway. Spetto shuffled over to the door and opened it to reveal a young man in a police uniform. Terror gripped Lucy and she sunk back into her pillows. He gave her a small nod and began talking to Spetto, loudly enough that she could hear him. "Sorry for interrupting, but I'm just here to give the hourly report. There's been no activity so far, but we'll stay alert until we find him. Has the witness been able to identify her kidnapper?"

Lucy's head was buzzing so much she didn't near Spetto's answer. _'No,'_ she wanted to say. _'You have it all wrong. Natsu didn't kidnap me…'_ She paused in her mental speech, remembering the first time they'd met and he had ran her all through back alleys. ' _This time.'_

The officer came and knelt by her bed, pulling out a photo. It was of Natsu, standing victorious over the kid from weeks ago. He had a proud smile on his face, and his eyes were focused on something out of the picture's frame that Lucy knew was her. He looked so happy, and she smiled warmly at the image. The man frowned at her reaction, shoving the picture back into his pocket. "Miss, do you know who that is?" Lucy wiped the smile off of her face and shook her head. He narrowed his eyes.

"Well, this is the man who kidnapped you last night before bringing you home passed out with extensive bruising up your back. You're lucky he didn't cause permanent damage to your spine." Now it was Lucy's turn to narrow her eyes. "He has extensive knowledge of where you live and where you sleep, along with your daily route home from your high school. We are putting you under house arrest until this guy is found, and the house staff and you are to immediately report any suspicious activity. There will be a guard stationed outside of your door now that you are awake, and your maid will be in the next room if you should need anything." He paused, and Lucy thought she saw a touch of pink on his face. "I'm glad you're okay, miss."

She rolled her eyes as he exited, and Spetto following behind him. In the lonely silence of her room, the gravity of her situation settled over her, and dread coiled in her chest. If Natsu was going to come get her, he would have to be careful.


	9. Chapter 9

A knock on window made her jump. She had been writing a letter to her mom about the day's events, which had only made her feel worse about everything that was happening. She waited a moment to make sure the guard wouldn't come in and check on the noise before swinging out of her bed and hobbling as fast as she could to her window. She quickly swung it open and backed up.

Natsu swung in soundlessly, landing in a crouch in front of the window. He stood up shakily and turned to her. Dark eyes swept over her body, taking in the over-sized T-shirt and shorts, smiling when he recognized the shirt as his. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lucy beat him to it.

"You…you idiot," she sobbed, tackling him in a hug. His arms wrapped around her instantly, squeezing her against him tightly and burying his face in her hair. She ignored how his hug made her back hurt and let her tears go, trekking down her cheeks and into his chest. His fingers began playing with the ends of her long hair, and Lucy remembered with some embarrassment that she hadn't combed it. After a minute, they disentangled themselves and moved towards Lucy's bed.

Lucy suddenly remembered the cop outside. She made Natsu sit behind the door where the guard couldn't see him and cracked it open. It was the man from earlier, and she inwardly cringed. He was a constant flirt, and a bad one. She secretly hoped that Natsu would get angry and beat him black and blue, but the last thing they needed was his being seen.

"Hey," she waved, catching his attention. His face flushed at the sight of her in her pj's, and he wouldn't meet her eyes. "I'm gonna take a soak in my tub, so could you keep everyone out for a while? I'll knock on the door as soon as I'm out, promise." She smiled sweetly, and she saw Natsu fake gag from the corner of her eye. She kicked him and hoped the guard didn't notice her spasm, but he seemed too busy staring at her chest to notice. Gritting her teeth, she coughed. He nodded distractedly, and she slammed the door without a second thought.x

"Honestly, what is it with guys and boobs," she mumbled, hoping Natsu was too busy rolling around on the floor in pain to hear her. She walked over into her bathroom, hearing Natsu following close behind her. She turned on the water as hot as she could make it. Spinning around, she dug out her medical bag before pointing at the sink and giving Natsu an expectant look. However, he seemed preoccupied with staring at her hip.

"What are you…" She looked down and saw a hole in her shirt, revealing the bandaging around her back. _'Uh oh.'_ The last thing she needed was Natsu worried about her when he looked like death warmed over. "Oh, that. I'm fine, it's just a little—"

He walked over and lifted the hem of the shirt, inspecting her back like the doctor from the day before. He peeled away the gauze, and Lucy heard him take in a breath as he saw the bruises. She hadn't seen them herself, but she imagined them to be like the ones decorating his forearms: swirling shades of purple, yellow, blue, green, and red, painting a gruesome picture for all who beheld it.

He retied the bandages without a word, worrying Lucy. Arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her against him, his face buried in her neck. She grabbed one of his hands, waiting for him to speak. "I'm sorry." Natsu whispered, so quiet she barely heard it.

She hummed and shook her head. "Hey, don't worry about me. You didn't do anything—"

"I know," he growled, tightening his embrace. "I didn't, _couldn't_ , do anything, and you got hurt." He paused. "You were never supposed to get hurt." She shivered at the raw emotion in his voice, gripping his hand harder. They stayed like that for Lucy didn't know how long, but she didn't want it to end. He was here, not arrested, not dead. A weight that she hadn't known she'd been carrying was lifted off her shoulders, her chest feeling a hundred pounds lighter.

Something warm splattered on her bare toes, and she looked down to see a dark red droplet sitting on her foot. She gasped, "Natsu!" She unlatched his arms and spun around, assessing the damage. A welt on his arm had reopened, and the bruises had become more vivid than she remembered. He had unwound the bandages from a few days ago, leaving the discolored skin exposed. She tsked and forced him to sit on her vanity, but he didn't let go of her hair. She had to ask him why he always did that.

Like clockwork, she pulled out the gauze, ointment, and ice pack from the dainty looking pouch she kept hidden in her cabinets. Normally, when she would treat his wounds, he would joke and try to make her angry while she worked. But this time, she told him about the police and their current predicament, knowing he didn't have a clue about why there were police stationed at her house, while he attempted to braid her hair.

When she told him what the police believed, he froze. "They…" he started slowly, his jaw working. "They think I was the one that…" She nodded, not taking her eyes from the gauze. His fists clenched, but he listened to the rest of the story. He grinned when she told him of his new felon status, like he'd won a brawl, and she giggled at his pride. _'Dork.'_

The doorknob turned, and Lucy watched with mute horror as the door swung open. The flirty cop stood in the doorway, taking in Lucy kneeling in front of Natsu with gauze, and Natsu fumbling with a strand of blonde hair. It all happened within the span of three seconds, but it felt like an eternity.

Lucy couldn't breathe as the man raised his walkie to his lips and said, "Suspect in witness's room. Requesting immediate backup."


	10. Chapter 10

The young cop stood at the ready, eyeing Lucy and Natsu carefully. Natsu hadn't acknowledged the guard's presence, which Lucy knew irritated him, instead intently concentrating on the blonde locks in his fingers. Lucy dutifully continued bandaging his arms and knuckles, also ignoring the young cop.

As soon as she tied the last bow, however, she stood up and faced him. She approached him until she stood directly in front of him, and slapped him across the face. He blinked dumbly at his stinging cheek, and Lucy glared at him. "You pervert! I told you I was in here taking a bath, and you just waltzed in here. Were you hoping to make your boring sentry duty a little more entertaining?"

She stomped back to Natsu, hopping up to sit in his lap while he continued his mini braid. She had to admit, he had gotten much better at weaving the strands together. "Why do you like playing with my hair so much?" she murmured, trying to keep the guard from eavesdropping. He shrugged and tied another strand around the little ropy braid, tying it so it would stay. "It's fun, and it keeps you close to me." She blushed at his honesty and started poking the braid in between the gaps of her fingers.

A hand tugged her off of Natsu, toppling her to the floor. Her back screamed from the impact, and she lay still while she waited for the pain to ebb away, panting. A thud sounded from somewhere close to her, but until her dizziness faded all she could do was wait.

Eventually, she pushed herself up to see Natsu holding the cop by his throat, his dark eyes stormy. The poor man's eyes were bugging out of his head, and Lucy could tell he knew he made a mistake. She gently tugged Natsu's wrist down, allowing the policeman to gulp down breaths of air. They patiently waited for his voice to come back, demanding an explanation.

"Don't—" he coughed, his voice scratchy from constriction. He straightened and met Natsu's eyes in something like a glare, but nowhere near as fierce. "Don't touch her." Lucy bit her lip and snuck a glance at Natsu, who had raised an eyebrow. Without breaking the stare, he reached out his finger and poked Lucy in the cheek. She laughed, Natsu grinned, and the man looked like he was going to pop a blood vessel.

Footsteps rattled the walls. _'Guess backup finally found my bedroom.'_ Lucy thought drily, adding this to the list of reasons the Heartfilia mansion should be the Heartfilia apartment. Six men burst into her bedroom, a couple with guns drawn. She felt her pulse pick up, and she shrunk into Natsu.

A new man who Lucy had to admit was kind of cute stepped up behind the flirty cop, gun lowered but ready. "Miss Heartfilia," he boomed. Lucy couldn't see his eyes behind his dark sunglasses, and Lucy wondered why he was wearing them inside, at midnight. "Step away from that man. He is extremely dangerous and is to be immediately detained." Natsu tensed against her, shifting slightly so that she was behind him. She clung on to his arm, peeking out at the guard defiantly. Natsu clenched his fist, ready for whatever came next.

Nobody expected Lucy's dad to storm in.

He looked like he hadn't slept since Lucy had been born. Dark bags drooped below his cloudy eyes, and his clothes were wrinkled. Lucy could smell him from the bathroom, and her nose crinkled in protest. His eyes met hers, and his eyes cleared for a minute.

"Layla?" he mumbled, and Lucy flinched. Natsu gave her a concerned look, but she shook her head. Her father rubbed his eyes, taking in Lucy cowering behind Natsu. Anger flooded his features. "Lucy! What is going on in here?"

Every person in the room stood in dumbfounded silence. Jude looked like he was going to fall asleep any second now, and Lucy had an idea. It broke her heart, but she had to get her dad out of here before he made everything worse. She moved out from behind Natsu and picked her way toward her father, calling up her mother's voice from before she had gotten sick, soft and coaxing. "Go to bed, Dad." Her voice cracked at the uncanny resemblance her voice had to her mother's. "You've not slept in like a month. It's time to go to bed." He started to open his mouth, but turned and stumbled out. Lucy followed him to the door, going to shut it, but he paused. "I want this cleaned up by tomorrow." She nodded, clicking the door shut softly.

As soon as the door shut, the police moved. Natsu was flung out of the bathroom and into the throng of men. Lucy started toward them, but the pervy cop grabbed her waist before she could get close. "It's okay," he soothed. "You don't have to protect him anymore, we've got him. You're safe now."

And he was right. They had Natsu down on his knees, hands on his shoulders and head to keep him down. They were having trouble holding his arms, though, as his fists connected with knees, shins, and thighs. They eventually figured out that he was hurt, though, and grabbed his forearms to restrain his hands. He yelled, jerking around as they tried to lock handcuffs around his wrists.

Lucy twisted to face the cop, surprised to feel her eyes stinging. "I'm not capable of protecting him." She wanted to yell, scream, cry, do _something_ , but she could only stare and talk mechanically. "He's always been the one protecting me." She wriggled again, fully facing her captor. She balled up her fist, hoping Natsu's lessons didn't go to waste. "So _let him go_!"

And she punched him square In the nose.

He immediately retracted his hands to cover his now broken nose from anymore damage. Lucy, feeling extremely proud of herself, scrambled over to Natsu and the gang of guards encircling him. Without missing a beat, the guards grabbed her and threw her back to the ground. Once again her back flared, but she ignored it this time. She scratched with her nails and lashed out with whatever limb was appropriate. Natsu had stood up at some point and had head butted a guard, who was crumpled under the window, unconscious. Lucy ran over to him and helped him step over his restraints. She crawled onto his back, looping her bare legs through the gaps in between his arms and chest. He turned back to the groaning task force and laughed.

"Well, I guess I deserved my title of 'kidnapper', huh?" Lucy laughed in agreement. Sending one last apologetic look over her shoulder, she held on tight as Natsu jumped out the window and into the cold night air.


End file.
